The Three Hundred and Sixtieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Youth then craved leave to retire and, repairing to his Shaykh, informed him of what had passed between himself and the Sultan and said to him, "'Tis also my wish, O my lord, to marry his daughter." The Sage replied, "There be no fault herein if it be lawful wedlock: fare thee forth and ask her in marriage." Quoth the Youth, "But I, O my lord, desire to invite the King to visit us;" and quoth the Sage, "Go invite him, O my son, and hearten thy heart." The Youth replied, "O my lord, since I first came to thee and thou didst honour me by taking me into thy service, I have known none other home save this narrow cell wherein thou sittest, never stirring from it by night or by day. How can we invite the King hither?" The Sage rejoined, "O my son, do thou go invite him relying upon Allah, the Veiler who veileth all things, and say to him, 'My Shaykh greeteth thee with the salam and inviteth thee to visit him next Friday.'" Accordingly, the Youth repaired to the King and saluted him and offered his service and blessed him with most eloquent tongue and said, "O King of the Age, my Shaykh greeteth thee and sayeth to thee, 'Come eat thy pottage[124] with us next Friday,'" whereto the Sultan replied, "Hearing is consenting." Then the Youth returned to the Sage and waited upon him according to custom, longing the while for the coming of Friday. On that day the Sage said to the Youth, "O my son, arise with me and I will show thee what house be ours, so thou mayst go fetch the King." Then he took him and the two walked on till they came upon a ruin in the centre of the city and the whole was in heaps, mud, clay, and stones. The Sage looked at it and said, "O my son, this is our mansion; do thou hie thee to the King and bring him hither." But the Youth exclaimed, "O my lord, verily this be a ruinous heap! How then can I invite the Sultan and bring him to such an ill place? This were a shame and a disgrace to us." Quoth the Sage, "Go and dread thou naught." Upon this the Youth departed saying in himself, "By Allah, my Shaykh must be Jinn-mad and doubtless he confoundeth in his insanity truth and untruth." But he stinted not faring till he reached the Palace and went in to the Sultan whom he found expecting him; so he delivered the message, "Deign honour us, O my lord, with thy presence."[125] Hereupon the King arose without stay or delay and took horse, and all the lords of the land also mounted, following the Youth to the place where he told them his Shaykh abode. But when they drew near it they found a royal mansion and eunuchry standing at the gates in costliest gear as if robed from a talismanic hoard. When the young man saw this change of scene, he was awe-struck and confounded in such way that hardly could he keep his senses, and he said to himself, "But an instant ago I beheld with mine own eyes this very place a ruinous heap: how then hath it suddenly become on this same site a Palace such as belongeth not to our Sultan? But I had better keep the secret to myself." Presently the King alighted as also did his suite, and entered the mansion, and whenas he inspected it he marvelled at the splendour of the first apartment, but the more narrowly he looked the more magnificent he found the place, and the second more sumptuous than the first. So his wits were bewildered thereat till he was ushered into a spacious speak-room where they found the Shaykh sitting on one side of the chamber[126] to receive them. The Sultan salam'd to him whereupon the Sage raised his head and returned his greeting but did not rise to his feet. The King then sat him down on the opposite side when the Shaykh honoured him by addressing him and was pleased to converse with him on various themes; all this while the royal senses being confounded at the grandeur around him and the rarities in that Palace. Presently the Shaykh said to his Scholar, "Knock thou at this door and bid our breakfast be brought in." So the young man arose and rapped and called out, "Bring in the breakfast;" when lo! the door was opened and there came out of it an hundred Mamelukes[127] of the Book, each bearing upon his head a golden tray, whereon were set dishes of precious metals; and these, which were filled with breakfast-meats of all kinds and colours, they ranged in order before the Sultan. He was surprised at the sight for that he had naught so splendid in his own possession; but he came forwards and ate, as likewise did the Shaykh and all the courtiers until they were satisfied. And after this they drank coffee and sherbets, and the Sultan and the Shaykh fell to conversing on questions of lore: the King was edified by the words of the Sage who on his part sat respectfully between the Sovran's hands. Now when it was well nigh noon, the Shaykh again said to his Scholar, "Knock thou at that door and bid our noonday-meal be brought in." He arose and rapped and called out, "Bring in the dinner;" when lo! the door opened of itself and there came out of it an hundred white slaves all other than the first train and each bearing a tray upon his head. They spread the Sufrah-cloth before the Sultan and ranged the dishes, and he looked at the plates and observed that they were of precious metals and stones; whereat he was more astonished than before and he said to himself, "In very deed this be a miracle!" So all ate their sufficiency when basins and ewers, some of gold and others of various noble ores, were borne round and they washed their hands, after which the Shaykh said, "O King, at how much hast thou valued for us the dower of thy daughter?" The Sovran replied, "My daughter's dower is already in my hands." This he said of his courtesy and respect, but the Shaykh replied, "Marriage is invalid save with a dower." He then presented to him a mint of money and the tie of wedlock was duly tied; after which he rose and brought for his guest a pelisse of furs such as the Sultan never had in his treasury and invested him therewith and he gave rich robes to each and every of his courtiers according to their degree. The Sultan then took leave of the Shaykh and accompanied by the Scholar returned to the Palace.?And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was